Social Economy Collective Agreement: Negotiation Kick-off Without Result

The first round of collective bargaining negotiations in the social economy ended on Tuesday without a result. The positions of the negotiators remain significantly apart. The unions vida and GPA expressed their frustration after the seven-hour round at the ÖGB headquarters and announced actions during working hours to demonstrate their readiness to fight. The employers, on the other hand, pointed to the "dramatic" financial situation.

No Agreement on Social Economy Collective Agreement for Now

The union representatives accused the employers of lacking appreciation for the work of the employees. "The employers have expressed how little they value the work of caregivers, early childhood educators, or disability support workers by announcing that they do not want to compensate for inflation," said GPA negotiator Eva Scherz in a statement. She was also annoyed that the employers had invited to a press conference on Thursday before the negotiations began to highlight the difficult conditions of the social infrastructure in this country.

With actions, they now want to show that "the employees are also prepared for industrial action if necessary." Specifically planned is an action titled "Four Wins," where employees will interrupt their work for four minutes between November 3rd and 5th and upload a photo of the action on the union's website. Only making the industry more attractive is a suitable means to counter the still existing shortage of skilled workers, said vida negotiator Michaela Guglberger.

The chief negotiator for the employers, Yvonne Hochsteiner, pointed to the difficult conditions for the negotiations given the massively restricted financial leeway. In all federal states, drastic cuts are being prepared or have already been implemented. "Nationwide, thousands of jobs and essential services are at risk." Nevertheless, a zero wage round is ruled out, said the managing director of the Social Economy Austria (SWÖ).

Second Round of Collective Agreement Negotiations in November

At the beginning of October, the unions submitted their demands. A salary increase of four percent is demanded for the approximately 130,000 employees. In addition to compensation for inflation, there are also demands regarding working hours and conditions - here too, the union wants to push for improvements, especially concerning part-time work.

The employers, on the other hand, see only a "very limited scope." As their chief negotiator Yvonne Hochsteiner emphasized to the APA before the negotiations, the situation "has even worsened." This became clear after consultations in the committees of the Social Economy Austria following feedback from the federal states. The budgetary situation and external circumstances are "consistently catastrophic."

The next round of negotiations will take place on November 13th.

(APA/Red)

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